The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

And yet God maketh all equal, and will that the one shall pay no more then the other, neither yet the poor less then the rich; This Law (I say) may appear very unequal: But if the cause which God addeth be observed, we shall find in the same the great mercy and inestimable wisdom of God to appear, which cause is expressed in these words;¹ This money received from the children of Israel, thou shalt give in for the service of the Tabernacle, that it may be to the children of Israel for a remembrance before the Lord, that he may be merciful to your souls. This cause (I say) doth evidently declare, That as the whole multitude was delivered from the bondage of Egypt by the mighty power of God alone; so was every member of the same (without respect of persons) sanctified by his grace, the richest (in that behalf) nothing preferred before the poorest: For by no merit and worthiness of man was he moved to choose and to establish his habitation and dwelling amongst them; but their felicity, prerogative and honour which they had above all other Nations, proceeded only from the fountain of his eternal goodness, who loved them freely, as he freely had chosen them to be a priestly kingdom, and holy people from all Nations of the earth: Thus to honour them that he would dwell in the midst of them, he neither was moved (I say) by the wisdom of the wise, by the riches of the potent,² neither yet by the virtue and holiness of any state amongst them, but of mere goodness did he love them, and with his presence did he honour the whole people, and therefore to paint out ⟨p. 38⟩the same his common love to the whole multitude, and to cut off occasions of contention, and doubts of conscience, he would receive no more from the rich, then from the poor, for the maintenance of that his tabernacle, by the which was represented his presence and habitation amongst them. If the rich had been preferred to the poor, then as the one should have been puffed up with pride,³ as that he had been more acceptable to God by reason of his greater gift, so should the conscience of the other have been troubled and wounded, thinking that his poverty was an impediment that he could not stand in so perfect favour with God, as did the other, because he was not able to give so much, as did the rich, to the maintenance of his Tabernacle: